Is Premium fuel widely available outside Metro?

[Ninpo2dan]

I am still living stateside, and I've been driving a Lexus LX 470 for a few years now. I've fallen in love with the car and many of its features, and I'm thinking about getting one when I move to the Philippines soon. One concern that I have though, is that the car requires premium (92+) fuel. I have seen gas stations in the Metro Manila area selling Premium during my previous trips, but I never really paid attention to it at the time when visiting outside the Metro area. I usually just rented a standard Toyota SUV that ran on regular.

So my question is, how common is it to find gas stations outside the Metro area, like some of the provinces in the outskirts, to be selling Premium fuel? Is it fairly easy to find respectable gas stations that are using quality additives, or is there too much risk in getting crappy fuel that would lead to problems?

If Premium fuel isn't common, I might just go with the non-Lexus version of the same vehicle, which I think is the Toyota Land Cruiser. It will lack several of the features I've come to rely on, but at least it will be cheaper and easier to access the fuel, not to mention cheaper on maintenance and insurance.

[Old55]

A close friend owns a Toyota Land Cruiser good choice for Philippines. A bit big though.

[sonjack2847]

Well they have premium fuel here in Dumaguete so I cannot see a problem up around the metro area.

[OnMyWay]

I think Petron is the largest gasoline dealer and as far as I know, the have 95 octane at all the locations, but I could be wrong.  They also have 100 octane available.

[GeoffH]

They have premium at most stations even down here in Mindanao, at least in cities and towns of any real size.  I’ve seen it in small towns way way south of Cebu as well.  I would be surprised if you can’t easily obtain it.

[Anselm]

Most gas stations seem to have premium unleaded (at least 95-octane) available. Premium diesel is somewhat harder to find in the provinces (not that it makes so much of a difference!)

[Peaceful John]

I live in Northwestern Mindanao (Dipolog City)  and I burn premium 95 octane every fill up.  No problem with availability at all Ninpo2dan.  I really like the Lexus SUV's, some the best on the road.  But I would caution you about having or driving a vehicle of this class and value on the roads in most cities.  There's never a doubt about "if" you will get it scratched or dented (or worse), it's only a matter of when.  Give it some thought......good luck my friend.

[Ninpo2dan]

 

11 hours ago, Old55 said:

A close friend owns a Toyota Land Cruiser good choice for Philippines. A bit big though.

I've always loved the 4Runner, and the Lexus comparison is the GX series. I spent over 2 years looking for one in my area, and one day when I went to the dealership to look for a car for my ex, I saw the LX. I thought the same thing at first, it was a bit larger. But after driving it around, it felt great.

It was almost like being back in a HMMWV, the vehicle has this large spacious feel inside, comfortable and more roomy. From the outside, you can tell it's wider, but not too much. I currently live in southern Oregon, and the snow here can be nasty. Having a wider wheelbase improves stability in this crap. Yeah, sure, mileage sucks when you're only getting 12-15 mpg with Premium fuel, but it's a damn comfortable ride and I feel safe driving in any weather.

I looked up Toyota vehicles available in the Philippines a while back, and it looks like they have pretty much the same selection, although some stuff has different names. For example, the 4Runner is the Fortuner. They also have the Hilux, which I think is cool, but it's not available in the US. Prices are messed up though.. The cost of a new Lexus is, easiest way to say it, ?????? retarded. A brand new 2019 Lexus LX 570 with all the addons is about $98k here. A similar configuration in the Philippines, minus a few options, is about $168k. That's a serious difference in price, especially when you're talking about a country where things are supposed to be cheaper. The new Land Cruiser is about $95k there, while it's only about $85k here. I think the Land Cruiser in the Philippines is also a diesel, unlike regular gasoline here.

 

There are a few reasons why I'm thinking the Land Cruiser is a better option than the Lexus. First, the Lexus is going to have higher insurance costs, higher maintenance costs, higher repair costs, etc. It's a luxury vehicle, you get what you pay for, but I guess it comes down to "Is the extra cost worth the extra luxury?"

My other concern is that being a Lexus, is it going to attract unwanted attention there? Are thieves going to target my vehicle more often because of the make? Do I need to hire security when I park it at the mall? Do I need to keep it behind a barbwire-topped gate at home? Are drivers going to act more aggressively in traffic because of it?

I still have some time before I move, so there's plenty of time to think about which option to take. But I want to make sure that which ever vehicle I do buy, I can get gas for it regardless of where I go, and I can get maintenance and repairs when needed (using the proper parts).

[OnMyWay]

2 hours ago, Ninpo2dan said:

I can get maintenance and repairs when needed (using the proper parts).

I don't think you want a Lexus then.  I think there is only one Lexus dealer in the country, in Manila.  Most of the premium brands are like that.

Toyota has lots of dealers all over the country.  Perhaps they could do warranty maintenance  on a Lexus at Toyota?

[GeoffH]

You are going to attract some attention even in a Land Cruiser any where except for scattered up market enclaves anyway.  They aren’t common in most areas unlike Fortunas, Hiluxes and Innovas.  Toyota does have the largest dealer network, which is why we went that way.